Ahead of the August 31 election in Offa Local Government Area of Kwara State, the chairmanship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prince Saheed Popoola, has urged President Goodluck Jonathan to prevail on the state government to allow integrity, transparency and honesty guide its actions before, during and after the election.

He also appealed to the President to ensure that the will of "Offa people is not trampled upon".

Popoola added: "The people of Offa Local Government have decided to take their destiny in their own hands. Any group, which toys with their direction, will be doing so at its own peril. They have sworn to guide their mandate jealously and warned enemies of progress not to slide the community into an avoidable anarchy.

"But we appeal to Your Excellency to save our people the agony of being killed or maimed by thugs. Indeed, these thugs are on the rampage in Offa, threatening people to stay indoors or risk their lives!

"We are appealing to you to intervene and caution those who are bent on throwing the blanket of insecurity around the council area from changing the goalpost when the match is yet to begin. We believe in your fatherly intervention to quickly nip the looming crisis in the bud.

"It is also our prayer that the result of the election be counted and declared at Offa Local Government Area and the winner openly declared. We reject any attempt to want to take the result elsewhere in a bid to tinker with the result of the election, as was the practice before you intervened in 2011.

"We equally seek the powerful presence of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials, local and foreign election observers and other credible Nigerians to forestall rigging and other electoral malpractices.

"We also demand that before and during the re-scheduled election, on August 31, impartial security agents be placed across the town to provide watertight security and allow the electorate to discharge their franchise without let, hindrance and any molestation whatsoever.

"We appeal that INEC officials be on the ground to supervise the election, as provided for in the Constitution, so that the state Independent Electoral Commission (KWASIEC) will not tilt the balance in favour of any political party.

"Your Excellency, above are the appeals of the people of Offa, who genuinely nurse the fear of being robbed of their franchise. We trust, once again, in your judgment not to allow anybody or political party, no matter how highly placed, to create needless political crisis which outcome no mortal can predict.

"Mr. President, we acknowledge your good judgment, non-partisanship and apt intervention in the January 2011 Offa Local Government election by ensuring that tight security was supplied and seeing to it through the agents of the state, which we understood were deployed at your prompting, that our people’s votes counted.

"The people of Offa remain indebted to your good office for intervening when they called for impartial intervention in the face of political intimidation. That you instructed the agents of the state to ensure impartiality, even when the odds were against your own party (wo)men, is enough reason to salute that statesmanship and courage."